As a vegetarian for ethical reasons, I have absolutely NO problem with other people eating meat at the dinner table with me. I wouldn't even consider harassing them about it - that would be rude and inappropriate, just as it is when people harass me about being vegetarian, as happens quite frequently. I know several vegetarians, and have never, ever known them to be intolerant of other people at the same dinner table eating meat. So, relax. The advice given by LindaC is good advise. I wouldn't want anyone to go to any extra trouble on my account. Vegetable sides are usually served at meals, anyway, so make sure there are plenty of those, and your guest will surely enjoy the meal you provide. Just make sure you don't use animal fat or animal broth in the preparation of your sides. For instance, if you serve one soup, use vegetable broth as a base instead of chicken broth or beef broth. I guess suggesting that does mean you'll have to go to a little bit of extra trouble, but you don't have to worry about providing a separate main dish for her, unless you want to. Sally

This is overwhelming. I've read through the recipes - wow - so many yummy burgers to try - esp. Mexican burger, chicken, tuna, and a good old-fashioned classic cheeseburger has never looked as good as many of the ones right here. Here are the recipes for the Pacific Rim Burger and Warm Potato Salad with Cilantro. My motto is "you can never be too rich, or have too much cilantro." By the way, this is my third time trying to post this - the internet has disconnected midway. So third time's the charm: Pacific Rim Chicken Burgers With Ginger Mayonnaise Recipe #65297 This recipe came from Kristine Snyder, Kihei, Hawaii, and was the $25,000 grand prize winner in the National Chicken Cooking Contest. by Sharon123 4 servings 25 min 15 min prep 1 1/4 lbs ground chicken 2/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs) 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 green onions, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro 1 clove garlic, minced 1 teaspoon asian hot chili sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1/2 cup bottled teriyaki sauce 4 teaspoons honey 4 hamburger buns with sesame seeds, split and toasted 4 leaves red leaf lettuce 1 cucumber, peeled,seeded,halved and thinly sliced lengthwise Ginger Mayonnaise 1/2 cup mayonnaise 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger 2 teaspoons lime juice 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt MIX chicken, panko, egg, onions, cilantro, garlic, chili sauce and salt in a large bowl. With oiled hands, form into 4 patties. Mix together teriyaki glaze and honey in a small bowl. In large nonstick fry pan over medium high heat, place 1 tablespoon oil. Add chicken and cook, turning and brushing with teriyaki glaze, about 10 minutes or until done. PLACE burgers on toasted buns and top with lettuce, cucumber and Ginger Mayonnaise (recipe follows). Garnish with additional cilantro and cucumber slices. Ginger Mayonnaise: MIX 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish, 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons lime juice, 1 clove garlic, minced and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. My notes: omit the salt. The teriyaki sauce already has plenty. And one cup of teriyaki/honey mixture is way more than you need. I used less than half. The recipe also makes more ginger mayo than you need, but it's delicious on fish and other things. Warm Potato Salad with Cilantro: 2 lbs. waxy potatoes (like red bliss) scrubbed kosher salt 1/2 cup evoo 1/2 tsp. fine grated lemon zest 3 tBS. lemon juice fresh ground pepper 1/2 cup lightly packed chopped cilantro 2 scallions (white and green parts) thinly sliced (or 1 shallot minced) Bring potatoes to boil in large pot of salted water. Then lower to simmer. Cook, partially covered, until tender when piecered with a fork - about 25 minutes. Drain and let cook slightly. While the potatoes are warm, slice them about 1/4 inch thick (no need to peel, but discard pieces of skin that come off on their own). Put half the potatoes ina large serving bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, lemon zest and juice, 1 tsp kosher salt, and several grinds of pper. Drizzle half the dressing over the potatoes. Add the remaining potatoes to the bowl, drizzle the rest of the dressing, and toss gently with a large rubber spatula to combine well. Add teh cilantro and scallions and toss gently again. Taste and add more salt as needed. serve warm or at room temperature. I better submit this before it disappears. Thanks Michelle for putting this together. Lynn. PS okay I'm tempting fate by continuing to type, but I have to mention that the idea of having oil on your hands when forming the chicken patties was fabulous. It gave the patties just enough oil to bind them and protect them in cooking. Anyone else ever heard of this technique?

I get all of my exotic mushrooms from a mushroom farm (Hazeldell) nextdoor to our subdivision. They are all grown organically indoors and are sold to Whole Foods and restaurants, as well as the locals that just walk-in. Hazeldell also has a larger operation in Watsonville, California where it started in the 80's, but the owner moved here about 15 years ago and started this smaller farm closer to some of his family. I don't really pay any attention to the price. I'll check the next time I'm there. Here is a link that might be useful: Hazeldell Mushrooms

My recipe is similar to Linda's. It's adapted from a recipe I saw in the Washington Post years ago. You can slice them (after they marinate) & saute them in a skillet instead of grilling. I use a light olive oil. Ann Grilled Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches 4 large portobello mushrooms (6-10" across) ½ cup olive oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp. salt ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper 2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce Cut the stem off each mushroom near the base. Clean out the gills. Whisk the olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl and spoon it evenly into the cleaned out gill area of each mushroom. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Brush the grill rack with oil. Grill the mushrooms top-sides down over low heat. Close the grill lid and cook for 10 minutes. Pierce the thickest part of the largest mushroom with them tip of a small sharp knife. If it feels tender, remove all the mushrooms. Slice the mushrooms and serve on Italian peasant (ciabatta) bread with aioli, slices of red onion and slices of roasted red pepper. If I have fresh basil, I like to slice it and add it to the sandwich. I also like to grill the ciabatta slices. Aioli 1 garlic clove 2/3 cup mayonnaise 2 tsps fresh lemon juice Some zest from the lemon ½ tsp dry mustard pinch or more of cayenne pepper Blend in food processor and then taste for seasonings.